New grade-separation interchange to link avantport Bronka with Federal roads

ST PETERSBUR, December 16. /ITAR-TASS/. A new automobile grade-separation interchange has been built on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland to link the transshipment seaside complex Bronka of the Larger port of St. Petersburg with Federal roads.

A ceremony marking the opening of the new facility, one of the largest in coastal territories of Russia's North-West, is to be held on Monday with the participation of RF Transport Ministry and the city administration officials, and executives of building and transport companies.

Pyotr Parinov, harbor master of the Larger port of St. Petersburg, told Itar-Tass, "A system of the so-called avantports, including Bronka, is being established around the Neva harbor. These are up-to-date well-equipped terminals with a developed infrastructure, brought out to the sea at greater depths than those of the principal wharves of the city's main harbor which has now found itself in the downtown area with its narrow streets and bridges, which hinders the transportation of sea-borne cargoes. Bronka, Lomonosov, and other harbors will substantially expedite the transportation of cargo with the aid of effective logistical plant layouts".

The new grade-separation interchange is intended for providing the approach to the multipurpose sea transshipment center Bronka which is now under construction and which is part of the Larger port of the city.

Upon attaining full-scale development, its cargo-handling capacity will be 1,900,000 twenty-foot Equivalent Unit (TEU) containers a year. Most of them will arrive at Bronka and will then be carried by road. There are two overhead roads at the grade-separation interchange with an overall length of 375.3 m. The cost of building a system of viaducts is 1.1 billion rubles.

By the time the terminal is put into operation, private investments in the project will amount to 43.7 billion rubles. Federal investments will run at 15.2 billion rubles. The implementation of the Bronka project will make it possible to create 2,300 new jobs at its sea terminals alone.

The Larger port of St. Petersburg is the largest port in Russia's North-West. It is located on the islands of the Neva River delta at the eastern extremity of the Baltic Sea. The port comprises almost 200 piers, roadsteads, and warehouses. Its water area is about 628.6 sq. km. The port receives ships not more than 320 m long with a draught of less than eleven meters.